Family behind OxyContin attests to its role in opioid crisis Two members of the Sackler family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma have acknowledged the drug had a role in the opioid epidemicTwo owners of the company that makes OxyContin acknowledged to Congress on Thursday that the powerful prescription painkiller played a role in the opioid epidemic but they stopped short of apologizing or admitting wrongdoing. “I want to express my family’s deep sadness about the opioid crisis,” David Sackler, whose family owns Purdue Pharma, said at a rare appearance in a public forum. In contrast to the family members, Purdue CEO Craig Landau testified that the company accepts “full responsibility." The deal leaves open the possibility that family members could be criminally prosecuted. He also noted that about half of what family members took out of the company was paid in taxes.

Source: ABC News December 17, 2020 15:21 UTC